Visitor

Lin Xu was taken aback, but she knew that Liang Zhengyuan had always been exceptionally caring towards her, and among her cousins, he was the closest to her. She then chuckled softly:

"Thank you for your concern, cousin. However, I cannot blame him for this. I was in a hurry at the time, and it was my own willful act that led to this."

Liang Zhengyuan brushed the teacup, his fingertips tracing the porcelain surface, as if he were sighing softly, or perhaps remaining silent. But when he looked up, his eyes had returned to a state of tranquility.

Have you decided on a name yet?

Lin Xu was slightly taken aback before realizing that Liang Zhengyuan was asking about the fetus in her womb. She was only five months pregnant and had been so busy these days that she hadn't thought about this at all. She couldn't help but laugh and say, "I haven't had time to think about this yet."

Liang Zhengyuan nodded. A gentle breeze brushed past his deep eyes, reflecting the gentle and serene face of the woman before him.

"There was a moment when I thought I was going to be buried in the snow."

Lin Xu raised his head without speaking, and then heard him continue, "...All around was a vast expanse of white. My limbs were frozen stiff, and I couldn't grip the sword properly. At that time, I felt like I was dreaming, and for some reason, I thought of the time I spent in He City."

Holland City...

Such distant memories.

Lin Xu's gaze trembled slightly. "My cousin grew up in Hecheng since he was a child, so he naturally has the local customs and traditions of his hometown deep in his heart."

His expression was indifferent, and his voice was as light as snowflakes, instantly dissolving into the gentle breeze.

"I was thinking, how is that little girl who couldn't ride a horse and always acted spoiled and stubborn doing now, all alone in Mujing? I was thinking... if I died, would there be no one to protect her anymore..."

She heard a gentle breeze brush past her ear, but she was too heavy to lift her head. For a moment, her heart trembled, but she couldn't utter a word. She could only quietly look at Liang Zhengyuan, who had matured far too much, in front of her.

He was no longer the same playful boy he used to be. And wasn't she the same?

“Yingzhi…”

Liang Zhengyuan looked up, downed the last bit of tea in his cup, and his expression returned to its usual calm and composed state.

"So if he dares to treat you badly, you must tell me. I will definitely teach him a lesson for you."

Not far away, the curtain was lifted, and Liao Yan emerged, having changed her bandages, supported by a maid. Liang Zhengyuan stood up, his tall figure appearing particularly lonely in the sunlight. A few fallen plum blossom petals drifted down onto his shoulder, and soon a faint fragrance of plum blossoms wafted through the air.

As she watched his retreating figure, she felt that her cousin, whom she had once been close to in Hecheng during her youth, had shed his youthful impetuosity in the wind and snow and grown into a man who stood tall and shouldered the responsibilities of the world.

For Lin Xu, this winter was the longest season she had ever experienced in both her lives.

.

The rain and snow continued incessantly, and the eve of the Lunar New Year was fast approaching.

The Dou family had been preparing for this for a long time, and the place was now decorated in a brand new way. Things were different now. The villa, which was sparsely populated last year, was now full of guests. Some even skipped the main gate and entered the palace directly through the side gate of the villa just to visit Imperial Censor Dou and Lady Zhao'en. When Bai Shi found out, she didn't say anything on the surface, but she was so angry that she had a headache.

Lin Xu focused on preparing for pregnancy, and Zhu Ling and the others blocked all the excessive visits. Although Dou Yanxun was busy every day, he specially assigned his most agile bodyguards to guard the villa, for fear that she might have any mishap.

Lin Xu lowered her eyes, focused on embroidering a lifelike tiger-head hat. Her embroidery skills had improved considerably; a tiger-head hat that used to take a whole month to complete could now be finished in less than half a day. When Qin Mama saw it, she praised her again. Feeling sorry for Lin Xu's eyes aching from embroidering for so long during her pregnancy, she took the hat and carefully added a gold border, making it even more exquisite and adorable.

This year, the gifts sent from various villages are much more abundant than usual.

After she gave those farms in Qingyang a good talking-to, Ge Shi is now working much more diligently, resulting in a much larger harvest, which in turn allows the local farmers to have a good New Year.

Moreover, Luo Shilan had already arrived in the capital. Initially, she went to work at Yuancaoju as an assistant to Zhiyuan, but not long after, Zhiyuan sent word that Luo Shilan was intelligent, diligent, and extremely skilled in herbal tea ceremony, making her a waste of her talents in the flower and herb business. Lin Xu then simply handed over a long-vacant shop to Luo Shilan, saying that she could do whatever she pleased.

Not long after, Luo Shilan transformed the shop into a bookstore. Although the shop was not large, according to Zhu Ling, Luo Shilan managed it very well. Half of the shop was used for brewing tea and the other half for selling books. It was also decorated with herbs and flowers. The aroma of herbs, tea, and ink mingled together in the shop, creating a very quiet and elegant atmosphere.

So when Luo Shilan came to visit carrying a small basket woven from gray rattan, Lin Xu was pleasantly surprised.

Since arriving in Mujing, she had dressed as usual, wearing plain blue fine cloth with a frilly trim around the cuffs and collar, and a small silver hairpin in her hair. Her smile was very gentle.

Luo Shilan bowed respectfully before sitting down, and then busily pulled out one item after another from her woven basket as if it were a magic treasure.

Even Zhu Ling and Rong Wei couldn't help but laugh. They saw that Luo Shilan brought a piece of white plum blossom wine wrapped in plain silk, and the fragrance of plum blossoms wafted out as soon as it was opened; a small box of tightly pressed winter-stored incense cakes, which were also exquisitely made into the shape of flowers; two rolls of fine silk scripture paper, which were cut very delicately; and a small pottery jar. Luo Shilan gently lifted the jar, and a rich medicinal fragrance spread in the air.

Luo Shilan said, "I heard that you are pregnant now, Madam. This ointment is for calming the mind and replenishing your energy, which can help you stay healthy. I also brought you these two scrolls of scripture paper because I heard from Sister Zhiyuan that you like to practice calligraphy. If you don't mind, you can write some scriptures every day to relax your mind."

Lin Xu was surprised by Luo Shilan's thoughtfulness and couldn't help but feel touched. He then asked Zhu Ling to carefully put everything away. She had already finished practicing her calligraphy, so copying Buddhist scriptures in her spare time was a good idea.

All her current food, clothing, and daily necessities are carefully examined by the imperial physicians assigned to her by Kunrou to ensure they are safe before being used. Since Luo Shilan is someone she recruited, she naturally has no suspicions.

Lin Xu really liked Luo Shilan's personality, and listened with great interest as she quietly recounted how she wanted to open a bookstore and how she was managing to keep it afloat. Zhu Ling also said, "I was shopping in town the other day and heard people say that Madam Luo is very kind-hearted. Even poor girls with nowhere to go will be given food by Madam Luo, and she will teach them to read!"

Luo Shilan took a sip of tea, but a blush rose to her face. She was quite embarrassed. "I am only able to be where I am today because of Madam's help. How could I possibly use your help to show off?"

Everyone laughed. Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly pleasant, a maidservant at the door whispered a report, her voice tinged with nervousness:

"Madam, Steward Qi said that someone in the manor wants to see you. They have been taken to a side room by Steward Qi to wait."

Nowadays, at least four or five guests seek to see Lin Xu every day, but apart from close relatives, Lin Xu refuses to see them. When Qin Mama heard this, she found it strange, "Steward Qi is very thorough in his work. Why is he so nervous when someone comes to visit?"

But then the little maid said through the curtain, "Madam, I don't know. I only know that Steward Qi said they were two ragged children who insisted on seeing you."

Lin Xu put down his teacup, his eyes darkening.

Before long, Steward Qi brought the visitors in. Although Lin Xu was prepared, she was still taken aback when she saw the current situation of the two children she had met before.

Two frail figures, Haiping and Yumei, were seen, their clothes tattered, their shoes soaked through with snow. Haiping had grown taller and was now thin, but he stood straight, tightly protecting his younger sister. Yumei, the once rosy-cheeked little girl, now had a face red from the cold, frost on her nose, and buried her face in her brother's sleeve, too timid to look up.

How could this be? Didn't she already instruct that the two children be given a lot of money?

Seeing that she looked unwell, Steward Qi cupped his hands in greeting:

"Madam, you are unaware of the situation. I just sent someone to inquire, and they said that a few days ago, there was a thief in Straw Hat Alley. Since your two guards, Zhou Qi and Zhou Quan, left, these two children have lost their protection. With all that money on them, they became targets for thieves. Within a few days, they were all robbed, and even this little girl was almost tricked away by a slave trader."

Lin Xu is currently pregnant and cannot bear to hear such things. Although she disliked the two children brought by Qi Rou'er in the past and hated the Qi family to the bone, what have the children done wrong?

Qi Rou'er had already absconded with the money back to Jiangzhou. If he didn't intervene now, he feared the two children would soon be in grave danger...

Just then, he saw Haiping break free from his sister's arm and solemnly kneel on the ground.

"Now Haiping and my sister are desperate and have nowhere to turn. I know that it was you who secretly helped us all along, so I humbly beg you, Madam, to take my sister and me in..."

The boy who once had such stubborn eyes has grown quite a bit taller, and his disgust for her has completely vanished, replaced only by endless humility. Lin Xu felt a pang of sadness and asked gently, "And what about your mother?"

Hai Pingtou almost buried his face in the floor, but his voice was extremely faint, a mixture of youthful pride and feigned strength: "...I'm leaving."

For a moment, everyone in the hall was speechless.

Yu Mei was much thinner than before, her eyelashes glistening with the snowflakes in the wind. Gazing at the warm teacup on the table, she suddenly sniffed softly. Granny Qin noticed and said, "This child is probably thirsty..."

Lin Xu gave Qin Mama a wink, then took out an empty cup and poured a cup of hot tea. Yu Mei initially accepted it cautiously, but later she couldn't resist any longer and started gulping it down.

"Be careful, it's hot..."

Before Zhu Ling could finish speaking, she had already finished the cup of tea.

Lin Xu frowned even more deeply.

These two children look like they're really starving.